Smoking is injurious to your character

COOL KILLER: Despite the stigma attached to smoking and health reasons, women smokers are growing in numbers.

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Statutory Warning: Cigarette smoking IS injurious to your health, irrespective of whether you are man, woman or child.

"No pictures of me smoking please,” announced the actress as she lit up her light cigarettes. She was known to be rather forthright about everything from virginity to single motherhood to how she upgraded the diamonds she wore each time she upgraded her man. She continued pulling on the nicotine when her mother entered the room. If the presence of her mother didn’t stop her smoking – a whole lot of Indians don’t smoke “before elders” – why did she have objections to being clicked smoking? Maybe because she was not Shah Rukh Khan? Or because she was a woman?

On another occasion, a celebrity blogger announces on national TV that she has quit smoking. Five minutes before the show was to be recorded, the girl was taking a “few drags” off an acquaintance's cigarette. She blogs about smoking, she smoked before the recording of the show, why did she conceal the fact on TV then? Her parents were watching, or because the nation was watching?

Another instance, a couple sitting in the smoking section of a restaurant were enjoying what looked like a scrumptious meal. After the meal, both of them lit their respective cigarettes. Three boys sitting on the table adjacent to them nudged each other, one whispered, “Dekh, dekh, cigarette pee rahi hai,” and proceeded to nonchalantly check out the girl. It didn’t matter there was a man with her. (Look, she’s smoking a cigarette) The smoking girl did not look up from her empty plate after that and crushed her cigarette midway. Why?

According to the American Cancer Society (Cancer Facts and Figures 2007), an estimated 70,880 women were supposed to die of lung and bronchus cancer in America. While earlier cigarette smoking was rarer amongst women than in men – with 20.3 million (18.1 percent, US) women smoking in 2005 – that percentage difference is fast reducing.

The American Cancer Society report also states that Indian women are at a world Number 3 when it comes to smoking…

Smoking – be it a man doing it or a woman – is primarily a HEALTH issue and should be. However in India, it assumes an entity of its own: Cigarettes are not just cancer sticks, they become yardsticks for character judgment.

NEXT PAGE >>> Cancer stick or character yardstick?